The three fastest growing million-case spirit brands of 2012 all emanated from the brandy category, according to the Millionaires’ Club 2013.

United Spirits’ Golden Grape topped the charts with year-on-year growth of 71% to achieve volume sales of 1.4m 9-litre cases.

In second place in the fastest growing rankings was the Philippines’ Emperador brandy which, despite its colossal 20m case volumes in 2011, soared 54% to achieve 31m cases last year..

The Indian group’s McDowell's VSOP grew 41% to 1.9m cases, while the sixth fastest growing spirit was also a brandy, Silver Cup, which saw 30% growth to achieve 1.4m cases.

A spokesperson from Intellima, the research company for the Millionaires Club 2013, said: “It’s no surprise that the fastest-growing Millionaires’ Club product is from India, nor that it’s one produced by United Spirits. Perhaps more surprising is that it’s a brandy, not a whisky, and one that was launched five decades ago.

“Golden Grape was first made at the Cherthala distillery in 1962 and was so popular in southern India that stocks had to be rationed. Such supply problems are a thing of the past, but the brand’s 50th anniversary saw renewed fervour for the product.

About Emperador, Intellima said: "When Andrew Tan launched the brand in the 1980s, the Philippines spirits market was dominated by rum and gin. The company built sales gradually through the 1990s and 2000s. A strong economy, new product lines and exports into Thailand and China have all helped accelerate growth in recent years.”

Sandwiched between the two Indian brandies in 3rd and 6th places is Diageo and Sean Combs’ Cîroc vodka, which grew 40% to 2.1m cases, and Bombay Sapphire, which saw a hike of 31% during the period to 2.6m cases.

Other notable movers in 2012 included Southern Comfort, which jumped 26% to 2.5m cases and Diageo’s Cacique rum which climbed 24% to 2.1m cases.